


raising your spirits

by JDKoopa



Series: Scribble scrabble on the "typewriter" I drabble [13]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Afterlife, Hurt/Comfort, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23009902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JDKoopa/pseuds/JDKoopa
Summary: Ashe approaches Byleth to make sure she is ok after her father's death. When she opens up, they begin to talk about what happens after someone dies.
Series: Scribble scrabble on the "typewriter" I drabble [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1606549
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10
Collections: Those Who Drabble in the Dark





	raising your spirits

**Author's Note:**

> written for felannie prompt: afterlife. 
> 
> something something word limits aren't real fam I just do what I can.

“Professor?” Ashe knocked lightly on Byleth’s door. It had been nearly a month since Jeralt had… Well, since Ashe had seen his professor cry for the first time in her life. 

He had been uncomfortable ever since, unsure of how to approach her. Claude and Dimitri had stood watch at the time, giving her a chance to properly mourn her father. Ashe, on the other hand, had listened to her wailing while he sulked back to the monastery. 

“Come in.” Her response was muffled by the thick door between them. Ashe reached for the handle, hesitating with his hand nearly touching the cold metal. He wanted to walk away, and pretend everything was fine, but his mind flashed back to the brick of shame he had felt in his gut when Byleth started wailing last month. He steeled his nerves and pushed open the door.

“Oh, Ashe. It’s good to see you. Your grades have been improving lately, but did you have a question about today’s lecture?” Byleth sat at her desk, working on class notes. Ashe could see water marks on the notes, and his teacher’s eyes had a slight red hue to them. 

“Actually, professor.” Ashe couldn’t meet her gaze. He closed the door behind him, taking a seat in the chair she had out for when her students came to visit. “I wanted to talk about… coping with death.”

“Ah.” Byleth put her notes away, hiding her face for only a moment behind a cascade of hair. Ashe was still getting used to seeing her hair, which had changed from a deep blue to a bright green only a few days ago. Byleth interrupted his thoughts when she tucked her hair behind her ear and turned to face him. “How have you been, I know losing Lonato was hard for you.”

“I’m alright. I’m more worried about you honestly. I wanted to talk to you sooner but…” He wanted to say I couldn’t find the courage, however he choked on the words, and almost scoffed at the irony of it.

“You don’t have to worry Ashe. I’m alright. I do wish my father would be here to see my first class graduate,” Byleth smiled slightly as she said it, but Ashe could tell her heart wasn’t in it this time. “Sadly, I have been forced to accept that nothing lasts forever.” 

Ashe tilted his head slightly to one side. Her words seemed too bitter, as if she had expected a different outcome. Also... 

“Of course he’ll see your first class graduate though. It’s not as if he’s truly gone.”

“I’m sorry, Ashe. I don’t understand what you mean. Death is the ending, is it not?” This time, it was Byleth’s turn to look puzzled. “Death is final, and there is no coming back from it. No matter how much we want to change the past, it is set in stone.”

“We can’t change the past, that much is true. But death is more complicated than that.”

“I appreciate the words Ashe, but I know what you’re going to say. I’ve heard it from others already. ‘When people die, their spirits reside with the goddess.’ The problem with that is, I would know if my father’s spirit was with the goddess, considering my situation. I don’t mean to take that belief away from others, but it brings me no comfort.”

Ashe fought back a laugh. “That’s not what I was going to say at all, actually. People don’t ‘reside with the goddess’ when they die. They live on in our hearts, and all around us. For you, maybe it’s harder to distinguish, but since Lonato died I’ve seen him everywhere.”

“You mean, you’ve seen his ghost?” Byleth looked even more puzzled than she had a moment ago. “I know you believe in spirits, but I didn’t think you had actually seen Lonato.”

“Saying I’ve seen his ghost isn’t exactly right. I see Lonato in every action I take. For example, do you remember that thief that stole the book? I still think about him sometimes. I told you he reminds me of when I was a thief, but he also makes me think of the way Lonato took me in when I had nowhere to turn. When I think about him I feel like I can finally view the situation from Lonato’s perspective instead of my own. Like he’s living on through me.”

“I see. So, Lonato lives on in you because you have adopted his ideals and live them out in your daily life?” Byleth nodded her head seriously, her eyes sparkling slightly.

“Exactly! I think if you try, you’ll see that you can carry on Jeralt’s name as well. And when you do, I’d love it if you let me know how you see him around you. And I’ll do my best to help you if you can’t see him.” Ashe smiled warmly at his teacher as he felt the weight of those words lift off of his chest. He was glad he had come to speak to her after all.

“You have given me much to think about. Thank you Ashe. I’ll… I’ll work on that” Byleth smiled, this time more genuinely than she had at the beginning of their conversation. “Now hurry along Ashe. Your grades may have improved, but you still need to study for your exam tomorrow.” 

“Oh no, I totally forgot! I’ll start studying right away.” Ashe stood and opened the door. As he looked over his shoulder, Byleth was looking at a small box, and he could have sworn he heard her say “I’ll remember you, father.” Then, the door closed, and Ashe went to his own room.

“Thank you, Lonato. For showing me the right thing to do, and giving me the courage to follow through.” Ashe said it to the empty room as if he were speaking to an old friend. Then, he pulled out his notes and began studying and preparing for the days to come.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/John_D_Coop?s=09)


End file.
